At 86 years old, Tova Friedman carries a message shaped by history’s darkest hours: humanity must never forget the horrors of the Holocaust. A child survivor of Auschwitz, Friedman has spent her life sharing her story, ensuring that the memory of those who perished endures.
As the world marks the 80th anniversary of Auschwitz’s liberation and International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Friedman’s warnings carry fresh urgency. With Holocaust survivors dwindling and distortion or denial on the rise, she stresses the importance of preserving history. “I share this story because we cannot forget all those innocent men, women, and children who were slaughtered just because they were Jewish,” she says, adding that the Nazis also targeted disabled people, LGBTQ+ individuals, and other minorities.
Friedman recalls her mother’s early lessons in survival during their time in a Polish ghetto—lessons that may have saved her life. Her memories of Auschwitz are vivid: being tattooed, her head shaved, and narrowly escaping the gas chambers. She survived, but the scars of those experiences are eternal. “It’s a warning,” she says, “to stop hatred, suspicion, and division based on differences, whether skin color, sexuality, politics, or anything else.”
The urgency of Friedman’s plea is underscored by troubling findings from a recent global survey on Holocaust awareness conducted by the Claims Conference. Many respondents, particularly in the U.S., France, and Austria, underestimated the number of Jews murdered during the Holocaust. Nearly half of Americans surveyed could not name a single concentration camp or ghetto, not even Auschwitz-Birkenau, where Friedman nearly lost her life, or Bergen-Belsen, where Anne Frank died.
Greg Schneider, executive vice president of the Claims Conference, called the lack of knowledge “deeply disturbing.” He warned that it reflects not just ignorance of historical facts, but a failure to grasp the consequences of unchecked hatred. Despite these alarming trends, there is hope: 96% of Americans agree that Holocaust education is essential in schools.
Friedman’s efforts to preserve history extend far beyond traditional platforms. She co-authored a memoir, The Daughter of Auschwitz, and has become a TikTok sensation thanks to her grandson, Aron Goodman. Their account, TovaTok, has amassed over 515,000 followers and 10.2 million likes, reaching a new generation. “I wanted to teach the young people,” Friedman says, “because they will be here when I’m not.”
As survivors age—most are now in their late 80s or older—there is a race against time to document their stories. The Claims Conference’s #RememberThis campaign aims to preserve these accounts for future generations. “We are losing survivors and eyewitnesses,” Schneider notes, “and this is happening at a time when social media allows lies and distortions to spread faster than ever.”
Friedman remains undeterred by her advancing years. “I don’t have many years left, so I am speeding up,” she says with determination. But the rise in antisemitism weighs heavily on her. “If we don’t learn to understand each other and stop hating, we may all end up as ashes eventually,” she warns.
Her message, and that of countless others who suffered during the Holocaust, is a call to action. Remembering the past is not just about honoring those who perished, but about building a future where such atrocities are never repeated.
